January 9, 2012 HO, HO, HO — holiday’s over, holiday’s over, holiday’s over. What are you doing this month to bring customers to your store, and to your shopping area? And I hope your answer isn’t a sale, because today’s shoppers are getting pretty jaded when it comes to discounts. Winter lasts a long time, especially here in Wisconsin, and aside from the small flurry of shopping around Valentine’s Day there isn’t much to make people don their parkas and step away from their TV and computer. We have to work a bit harder to create some retailing magic before it’s finally time for Easter, spring and garden merchandise. Our shop has the advantage of offering Cooking School classes, and most of those for the coming months were booked far in advance as holiday gifts. Are there any seminars or demonstrations that would fit with your type of merchandise? Winter is a time when people are anxious to broaden their horizons and learn new skills, and as a retailer it helps strengthen your position as an expert in your field if you can be the one helping them reach these goals. Contests are also a way to help customers escape from cabin fever. Last year we sponsored a timed jigsaw puzzle contest, and this year we’ve arranged with USAopoly to receive two free sets of Cooking Scrabble for a tournament. While this won’t draw hundreds of people to the store, it will give us a low-cost event to post on our Facebook page, and will undoubtedly be a lot of fun for those who participate. Plus we anticipate a boost in our sales of this fun twist on a popular game. A number of communities sponsor a winter carnival with a parade, ice sculpting, fireworks, skating events, an evening display of luminaria lanterns, and other activities to get people out and about. Last winter I got to pay an unexpected visit the 125-year-old carnival in St. Paul, since I was stranded in the Twin Cities by a snow storm on my way home from the NY Gift Fair. This event has a $3.5 to $5 million impact on the city of St. Paul and the state of Minnesota, so you know it’s good for its small businesses. If your weather permits, add carnival games, a costume contest, and outdoor music. And don’t forget to get all the retail stores involved with hot cocoa and other refreshments, crafts demonstrations, and — if you must — sales on certain merchandise. You want to make sure that shoppers know that it is the local shopkeepers that are their hosts for the fun winter event. Happy Retailing, Carol “Orange” Schroeder